5 puree recipes your baby will love

Posted by Rachel Sibley at May 9 2017, 11:47am

Coles food editor and mum of three, Emma Braz, has some fresh and healthy ideas to keep them nommin’.

To begin, Emma loves to cook mashes with pumpkin. “When you start with babies, something a little sweeter is better for them and a bit more palatable than going straight to a mushroom or harder vegetable,” she says.

Adding some mild spices for children is a good way of incorporating and building their palate up.

If you’re unsure of a recipe, halve it to see if they like it, before committing to a whole batch.

“You also have to remember it takes nine tries of something before they get the tastebuds to like it,” Emma says. “So they might spit it out at first but keep on persevering with it. Things can freeze up to three months, so in little ice cube trays is the best because then you can get out the portion you want.”

Listen to Emma on Kinderling Conversation:

Emma suggests these recipes as a good starting point for making puree interesting.

Pumpkin, lentil and orange dhal

Makes: about 1 cup

Combine 200g butternut pumpkin, seeded, peeled and finely chopped, with ¼ cup (50g) red lentils, rinsed and drained, the juice of 1 orange, and 1 cup (250ml) water in a small saucepan.

Place over high heat and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 mins or until pumpkin and lentils are tender.

Remove from heat and use the back of a wooden spoon to crush any large pieces of pumpkin.

Apple puree

Bring to the boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 mins or until apple

is tender. Set aside to cool completely.

Place in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth.

Pumpkin, carrot and cumin puree

Makes: about 1½ cups

Place 250g coarsely chopped butternut pumpkin and 1 peeled, coarsely chopped carrot in a small saucepan. Cover with cold water.

Place over high heat and bring to the boil. Cook, loosely covered, for 15 mins or until pumpkin and carrot are very tender. Drain well. (Alternatively, you can steam or microwave the veggies until soft.)

Return to the pan with a pinch of ground cumin. Use a potato masher or fork to mash to the desired consistency for your baby.